Solemn Wishes
by Omega Ultra
Summary: Life is hard. Loss is harder. Dealing with loss is the hardest. It's difficult to move on when you've lost someone close to you.
1. Solemn Scolding

**_"Days will pass and turn into years, but I'll always remember you with silent tears." ~Anonymous_**

Chapter 1

It's been a long time since I felt this. A long time since I stood in a place like this.

I hear a bolt of lightning streak across the dark, overcast sky. A few minutes after that, I feel cool liquid flow down my cheeks

Most of the mourners pull out umbrellas so they won't get wet, but not me. Instead, I just stand in front of the grave, and let the cold, summer rain mix with my salty tears.

The water soaks the dark black dress I wore for this… solemn occasion, but I let it. I don't care, because without him, what's the point?

"Brothers and sisters, we are here gathered here to mourn the loss of a great hero… May his soul rest in peace and those closest to him, find solace in their lives. May he be welcomed into eternal life, we pray, in the name of the father and of the son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen." The black clad priest does his best to keep his rock hard composure, but I can tell that he wants to break down crying too.

The man painfully continues, "And now, we recite the Lord's Prayer." Before leading the procession with, "Our Father, who art in heaven. Hallowed by thy name. Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done, on Earth." I could feel everyone pause for a moment… as if questioning whether or not if they even believed what they were saying; even the priest paused, "…As it is in Heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us…"

" _But how?"_ I think, " _How can I forgive the person who killed my best friend…"_ I pause for a moment, _"My best friend only… I wish…"_

"And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory, for ever and ever."

"Amen…" I whisper before falling to my knees. I feel helpless as I watch them slowly lower the dark oak box into the abyss of the grave.

I cry, "How could this be?! This can't be real…" the pouring rain drops feel like bullets crashing down upon my weak shoulders, "it just can't!"

"May he rest in peace." The priest quietly says, before shutting a small, brown book with a golden cross on it, turning around, and leading the procession out of the cemetery. I desperately try to stand and follow them, but instead, fall to my knees again and pound my fist against the cold, muddy ground, "Why! This has to be a lie!"

"You know this is a lie Stardust." an ethereal boy materializes behind me, "None of this is true. This is just a ruse to stop you from looking for me." I look up, "No… I whisper. You aren't real! None of this is! Marco is alive! "

I push myself out of the mud, and wipe my tears.

"Yeah, that's it… I'm still alive alright." The boy says, before vanishing, "Keep looking Stardust, you'll find me eventually."

"I will Marco… I'll find you soon." I whisper and tear up, before crying on the grave, "But why did it have to be you! Why?!" I pound my fists against the muddy ground.

Another shadow appears behind me, "Come on Star…" Marco's dad holds an umbrella over her. Then his Mom comes over and continues, "Let's go home. We know you were close to Marco, it means so much that you came." The… semi-stoic man starts to tear up, "Come on, we'll take you home… just because Marco is gone doesn't mean you can't stay with us for now… right?"

I could tell that he was on the verge of tears.

"Ok…" I quietly answer, trying not to let the salty tears appear in my voice. "Ok Star… let's take you home…" Marco's grieving mother says as she motions for me follow. And I comply.

Marco's parents lead me out of the cold, wet, dark… empty place and over to the brightly colored Ford- a stark contrast to where we just came from.

The Diaz's were uncharacteristically silent the ride home… as was I… I don't think that any of us could find a way to find a reason to be optimistic, especially after that ceremony.

The slow car ride is oddly soothing, and suddenly, I feel myself drift away…

* * *

" _ **Let them go Ludo!" I demand as I break into the villain's throne room, with Marco following soon after. "Or else we'll be forced to use force!" he declares as he prepares to fight off Ludo's minions again.**_

* * *

I wake to the muffled sound of the car's engine stopping, "Well Star… we're home…" Marco's mother- Angie says with a meek tone, "I'll… I'll get dinner started… Then we can…" Her voice trails off, and I don't blame her. I don't know what to do either, so instead of speaking I just nod and get out of the car.

It's sunset under an overcast sky when I finally reach the… simple front door. I have nothing else to say about it.

Marco's father is the first to step through the mundane door, and into the quiet house.

"Why don't you uhh… head up to your room? I'll call you down when dinners ready, all right?"

I wordlessly nod and head upstairs to my room… My empty room.

I open the simple wooden door and enter- quietly trudging passed the two remaining laser puppies. Though, the dogs did latch onto my legs while I did so. Wordless, I hopped onto my princess bed.

Then, I lie facedown on the warm bed, and fall asleep- letting the night's darkness envelop my body like a shroud.

* * *

" _ **Marco jumps and tackles Lobster Claws, while I hop up and blast Bearicorn. Man arm tries to get the drop on me, but Marco punches him away. I respond by blasting the big chicken, causing her to drop an egg on Emmit.**_

" _ **Take that!" I hear Marco shout, and I respond with, "Yeah you monsters! Feel our wrath!" then together we jump at Ludo. And all he can do is hold up his weapon in desperation**_

* * *

"Star, dinner's ready." I hear Angie walk inside the room, "Why don't you…" She stumbles on her words for a short moment, "Why don't you change and come eat with us?" I weakly turn my head, trying not to expose the tears running along my face, "I'm not in the mood…"

"Ok, I understand…" she takes a deep breath, "I'll leave a plate of food for you on the table… come down when you feel comfortable." Then, she quietly leaves and closes the door behind her.

A few hours later I force myself out of the bed and onto my weak legs. I notice the pups tearing up- most likely at the loss of their six brothers and sisters.

"Don't worry little pups, everything's going to be fine… I hope." I whisper to them as I stumble over to the door and struggle down the stairs.

The dark house seems so empty.

There's a bowl of spaghetti on the kitchen table. It's covered in a thin layer of plastic, but from what I can see, it's hastily made. A given since I doubt Angie could make the dish without crying her eyes out. Marco loved Spaghetti…

I turn on the kitchen light and grab the plate. It's lukewarm, _"Good enough to eat…"_ Then I place the plate back on the table and walk over to the sink to grab utensils. The sink is inexplicably clean… No one had the time to go as deep as was necessary to clean it up. That's when the realization hit me… the sink isn't full of water either. There are no dirty plates or pots to be washed. It's as if someone painstakingly cleaned everything by hand… while the dirt was still ground in.

" _I wonder why everything is so clean all of a sudden…"_ I grab what I need and turn around.

"Hey Stardust," The figure greets, "your food's cold."

I stood there in shock for a moment, was this real? No… it couldn't be… I saw him at the cemetery; I saw them bury his body.

"Haha, surprised to see me again huh?" I don't even know if it's really Marco. He gets out of his seat and hands the plate to me, "Don't worry about it, I'll still be here for you. I'm not dead, that wasn't my body that they buried. Besides…" He walks over and pulls me into a hug, "I would never leave you Stardust. I love you." Then he lets go, before disappearing.

For some reason, I feel dizzy as I take the… specter's advice and warm up the food in the nearby microwave. When turn back from warming the food, he's gone… again… it's as if he was never there… _"Marco… Please come back…"_

Then I shake my head, "No, he's dead… he's not coming back…" Then I slap myself, _"No! Marco's alive; he's just away on a mission is all! He'll be back soon, after all, he has my dimensional scissors!"_ Then, I place the food on the table, and eat my food quickly and quietly, like a rat looking for its next meal, or a beggar, eating before someone can steal his food.

The night is quiet. Yet, I feel as if someone were screaming at me. There is no one around, and yet I hear voices, they all tell me, "Join your dead friend! After what he's done for you, the only repayment is your life!"

" _But why should I join the dead when my friend is alive, he's just hiding away from Wavering Eyes…"_

"Of course!" I shout, "This is all an illusion caused by the Hyposister Marco and I fought last week! This is all a lie! _"That makes sense, right?"_ I wave off my doubts with, _"Of course it makes sense, why wouldn't it? Marco and I dealt with these guys all the time; I know that one of them is doing this. I'm probably in a nightmare version of Mabel's bubble! So to break free I have to pop it some how!"_ I look out the nearby window, _"Until then, I have to play along. Then, maybe I'll be able to escape."_

I look around for a moment and yawn, " _In the morning. I'll try to find a way out in the morning._ " Then, I take my plate and place it in the sink; _"I'll wash this in the morning, too."_ Then, I quietly leave the kitchen, turning the lights off as I do so. After that, I stumble up to my room.

The pups pout at me from the bed, "Hey you two…" I say as I climb into my princess bed, close my eyes, and let the sweet embrace of darkness take me once more.

* * *

 _ **Out of nowhere, six laser pups appear and surround Ludo. "It's all over Ludo! Free our friends or else!" I demand as a raise my wand at him. Then, without warning the six pups fire their lasers at the weapon he was holding- the Zero-Point Energy Field Manipulator.**_

 _ **Ludo cries, "No!" As he watches the weapon glow before, exploding with a burst of lightning. The resulting weapon glows with blue instead of orange light, and quakes with pure energy. Hesitantly, Ludo grabs the weapon and glares at us with his beady red eyes.**_

* * *

"Huh, huh." I wake up with sweat on my face. The two pups are still sleeping peacefully by my legs. I stare at the ceiling for a moment, " _That didn't happen, no, it couldn't have happened! I know he's sti-"_

I'm cut off by sudden nausea. I groan, before forcing myself out the bed and struggling into the bathroom- where I proceed to puke my guts out. *Ugh* " _What's wrong with me?"_ I clean myself up after that and head downstairs. The laser pups follow closely behind.

"Morning Star." Angie greets as I take a seat at the table, "Breakfast is almost ready. Why don't you get your stuff ready for school?" Angie seems to be in high spirits, like she usually is, but for some reason, I feel that even she's trying to cope with our loss…

"Rafael is already headed to work, so it's just you and me for now Star." I nod, "Ok Angie…" I watch Angie furiously scrub already clean dishes.

"You ok Angie?" I ask. She puts on an obviously fake smile and answers, "yeah, I'm fine." Then she makes me a plate of bacon and eggs, the two eggs were side-by-side like eyes, while the bacon was curved downward, giving the meal the shape of a sad face. I don't question Angie's choice of set up, and eat the food wordlessly. She serves the two pups small bowls of kibble.

I quickly eat my food and grab my things, _"Marco's not dead. What happened in that dream didn't happen!"_ I force myself to swallow the thought, _"Yeah, that's right, Marco's not dead. Marco's just coming to school late is all, he wouldn't miss a day for anything after all!"_

So, I put on my best smile and walk into the school. And for some reason, my breasts tingle a bit. I don't know why though…

I make my way through the quiet early-morning halls on my way to locker. I carefully open it, and swap out the books in my bag for those that I need.

Then, as I shut the lock, Jackie approaches me. And hugs me, before whispering, "I'm sorry for your loss Star…" she starts to tear up as I respond, "What loss?"

She lets go and just stares at me for a short moment, "Marco… he's gone…" But I wave my hand at her, "No he's not! He's just on a long trip is all… he'll be back. I know that he will!" Jackie continues to stare for a moment, before sighing and patting my back, "Yeah, he'll be back soon Star."

Then. She walks away with tears in her eyes, _"I wonder why she seems so downcast…"_ I think while I force the mere thought of Marco being dead to the back of my mind, _"Why do people think Marco's dead?! He isn't!_

So, I quietly walk into homeroom and take my seat in the corner, next to Marco's empty desk. Alfonso is the first to greet me with, "Hey Star, I'm sorry about Marco…" while he awkwardly looks away and rubs his head.

But I firmly say, "Marco isn't dead, he's just… feeling a bit sick is all… he'll be back tomorrow, don't you worry!"

Ferguson comes over while I say that and asks, "You ok Star? I mean you're acting rather odd about the whole thing…" I quickly nod in response, "Yeah I'm fine! Marco's coming in soon!" After that, the troll walks in and starts her class… in which I proceed to fall asleep in.

* * *

 _ **Ludo uses the weapon to grab and punt the pups into the walls with ease. He's so fast with that weapon that we don't even have a chance to react before the six pups are bloody corpses against the brick walls.**_

 _ **We try to attack him, but he launches bolts of lightning our way the first chance he got. Luckily, we're able to dodge the blasts in time. With the upgraded manipulator, this simple rescue mission just got a heck of a lot more complicated.**_

" _ **Karate chop!" Marco comes at Ludo, but the alien is able to grab and force him back. I on the other hand, launch every magical attack I possible could. Yet, they were also easily countered.**_

* * *

*Ring!* the bell goes, waking me up for lunch. Ms. Trollface doesn't say a single word to me as I walk out of her homeroom door with the best smile I can possibly muster. _"Marco's fine, after school I'm going to look for him. All is well here and anyone who says otherwise is lying."_ I think as I weakly push my way into the lunchroom. I don't know what, but something's been making me feel so used up lately.

The lunch lady looks at me like I'm crazy when I ask for things like fish and tomato sauce on my mystery meat plate. After that, I take my Sardine and tomato sauce covered meal, and walk over to the table with Alfonso, Ferguson and Jackie sitting. "Hey guys…" I quietly greet.

"Hey Star…" Jackie starts, but let's her voice trail off, like she wants to say something to me, but can't bring herself to say it. I yawn, "So how are you guys feeling?"

Ferguson and Alfonso look at each other for a moment, before turning back to me, "We're fine Star." Ferguson says while he tilts his head, "You don't look so hot Star, are you ok?"

Jackie makes me turn to her, "You look sick, like you're about to puke." Then she turns to see what's on my plate, "And what the heck are you eating? Sardines and mystery meat?!"

"I haven't eaten any of it yet though…" I whisper while holding my stomach. "Hold on." I say as I get up, run to the nearest trashcan, and puke. "Star, you're sick." Jackie says as she comes to my side, "I think you need to go home…" I immediately respond, "No! I'm fine… I'll just wait for Marco to come, and then go home, ok." Jackie takes a step back, "Star…."

"Yes Jackie?" I pull up from the trashcan and wipe my mouth. "You know Marco's dead… you were there, you held his body."

"No!" I shout, "That wasn't his body! Marco isn't dead! He's just late for school is all…"

"Star, calm down." Jackie places her hand on my back, "You have to face facts, Marco is dead, and you're sick. You have to go home…"

"No he's not!"

Ferguson comes up and hugs me, "Star, he's gone…" He starts to tear up, "Ludo… he caused his death, remember? We buried him; he's gone. I'm sorry Star."

Jackie tears up too, "I wish I could've told him the truth before he died…" I turn to her, "I had a huge crush on him… but I never could bring myself to… you know, tell him…"

I have a pain in my chest, as if someone had just torn out my heart. "Marco's dead… are you sure?!" I shout at Ferguson, and Jackie answers me, "Yeah Star, he's gone."

Tears fill my eyes as I start to cry into the trashcan.

Then, Jackie whispers, "Come on Star, let's take you to the nurse, you're sick." And I comply, though I do ask Ferguson to bring my food with him. I don't know why I even want this stuff; I hate sardines.

So my friends take me to the school nurse… who proceeds to dismiss me early due to sickness, "Come back tomorrow, this is probably the flu or something. You're going to be fine." She said with a rushed tone in her voice. "I'll take her home." Jackie declares as she grabs my arm and leads me out of the school and to Marco's home. There, she leaves me with a hug and a "Feel better Star, don't worry. Everything is going to get better soon."

I don't answer, but give a downcast nod in response.

When I enter the home, I head straight passed Angie and up to Marco's former room.

" _Where are you? I know you're not dead, I just know that everyone's lying."_ I grab a picture frame off the nightstand and I look at it. There's a photo of Marco and I with the pups in it. _"I promise Marco…."_

" _But… Marco is never late… the only time he'd be late is if he's… but he can't be, I saw him after the funeral. He talked to me!_

The two remaining pups walk into the room, both with sad looks on their faces. I don't hesitate to take them in my arms. I wordlessly lie down in Marco's bed, and fall asleep.

* * *

 _ **I fire a burst of light at the monster, before teleporting to the other side of the room and firing another.**_

 _ **Marco comes up from behind and hits Ludo in the back, causing him to drop the weapon. "It's over Ludo," I declare as I jump up and prepare to land the finishing blow.**_

 _ **Then, without warning, he jumps at the manipulator.**_

 _ **In a split second, he ducks and rolls under Marco and grabs the blaster, but I don't hesitate to fire my wand.**_

 _ **Ludo uses the manipulator to grab Marco, who fights with all his might to break free of its grip.**_

 _ **But I couldn't stop the attack; it was just too late. The blast hits Marco, sending him flying across the room. He flips around like a rag-doll, before his body crashes into the brick wall, and hits the floor with a loud *Thud*.**_

* * *

I wake up with a loud gasp. _"It was real… Marco really is dead… and it's all my fault…."_ I, as well as the puppies, start to cry. _"Why couldn't I stop it?! Why couldn't I save him in time?! Why is this happening?!"_

Then I realize why. It's because I spared Ludo. It's his fault that Marco's dead. If I had only treated him like more of a threat, Marco would still be alive. I can feel rage building inside of me, alongside my hunger for revenge.

I whisper, "I'm coming for you Ludo." Before getting out of the bed. I think that these pups are smart, because they get up with me, and proceed to follow me into a dimensional portal.

I promise you Marco. Your death will not be in vain.

" _ **9-20-'19 14-15-20 4-5-14-9-1-12. 9-'13 10-21-19-20 19-5-12-5-3-20-9-22-5 1-2-15-21-20 20-8-5 18-5-1-12-9-20-25 9 1-3-3-5-16-20." ~2-9-12-12 23-1-20-20-5-18-19-15-14**_

 **A/N Here's the start to a short story. Will update every Saturday for the next 4 weeks. Enjoy.**


	2. Solemn Notice

" _ **You know what they say about revenge, you better dig two graves." ~General Shepherd**_

Chapter 2

A few moments later I step through the other end and into the dark dimension. The black citadel stands before me- the two skulls in front glowing with ominous green light, as if calling to me. _"Ludo, your time has come. You will not escape again. And this time, there is no one you can take from me."_

I immediately walk over to the guard post, where I find Buff frog caring for his Tadpoles just as a father would. "Open this godforsaken gate before I blast you into another dimension!" I demand with fire in my eyes and ice in my heart.

Bulgoyaboff quietly turns to me, making sure not to disturb the tadpoles, "Hello Madame Butterfly. Do not worry, I shall open the gate for you, but before I do so, I ask that you think about your next actions."

"I've thought this through Bulgoyaboff. Now open this fucking gate."

"I believe that you are not thinking with a clear head. I can sense heightened levels of what humans call Estrogen and Progesterone in you. Are you with child, Madame Butterfly?" The frog desperately asks.

But I just scream, "Just open this goddamned gate!"

Buff frog sighs, "As you wish Madame Butterfly." The soldier leans over to the control panel, pulls the lever and opens the metal doors for me.

Then he places his children in their fountain carrying case, turns to me and stares into my eyes, "I hope this will bring you closure, Madame Butterfly."

I don't answer.

"Diamond Dire Transformation." I solemnly command and my wand responds with black and blue light. The light envelops the two laser puppies, turning them into blue, rock wolves decorated with crimson markings, while my black dress changes into a long, black, princess gown.

"It will." I coldly answer, before stepping through the cold, iron gates and into the dark castle.

Immediately, the monster staff cowers in fear from our mere presence. I simply march past the hordes of terrified monsters as I make way through the darkened corridors on my way to the throne room.

Moments later, we stand before the small door. The two guards blocking the entrance are intimidated for a short moment, before they muster the courage to raise their tridents and charge at me head on.

The wolves maul them before they even get within stabbing distance.

With that I raise my wand and command, "Crimson Bombardment." And the wand responds by glowing with fiery aura. Then, I aim and fire a burst of energy, completely destroying the throne room door. Then I walk in and confront the green creature.

"Ludo." I grit my teeth and say in the most threatening voice I can muster, "Your time has come." Then I concentrate.

The green creature panics and desperately looks around for something to defend himself with, but to no avail.

The hearts on my cheeks glow with power, a power made from pure anger. The dark energy flows into my want within seconds, and I prepare my attack.

"Please! Spare me!" In desperation Ludo jumps at his damaged zero-point energy field manipulator and tries to it at me.

He squeezes the trigger in fear, but it doesn't work. The weapon is too damaged to make a difference. "You should've showed mercy to Marco. You shouldn't have used him as fodder." I get angrier, "You shouldn't have forced us to come here in the first place!" Then I scream, "It's your fault that he's dead! And that stupid manipulator caused all of this!" Then, Ludo desperately tries to use his set of dimensional scissors to escape my wrath, but its no use. One of my wolves snatches his set of scissors and rips his entire left hand off in the process.

"Titan Firestorm!" I shout and the wand creates a massive, blue, rocky warrior with a massive, red, double-mouthed dragon on his right, and a massive, yellow, phoenix on his left. All three creatures have a blue orb embedded in their foreheads.

The two mystical flying creatures coil themselves around the Obelisk's massive, rocky arms, before setting themselves ablaze. The warrior attacks with both of its fists; the fiery beasts engulfing his arms with sacred fire.

All Ludo can do is cower in fear as his body is engulfed in holy flames and pounded to pieces by the rocky warrior.

It's all over in an instant. I drop my wand knowing that Ludo would never bother me again.

With that, I fall to my knees wordlessly and the same crimson-hooded figure appears behind me.

"So, was it worth it Stardust?" He asks with a smug tone, "You've killed him. Murdered him in cold blood." Then, he pauses for a moment, "No, you didn't think this through Stardust; you didn't do this in cold blood, more like in the heat of anger.

"To be honest, I don't think that was worth it. Then again, I've been told that that most sadistic thing you can do to someone is to let them live with their guilt. After all, killing them gives them closure, you know, that they've redeemed themselves through death or something like that."

The ethereal figure walks over and picks up the damaged gravity gun and takes it in his hands, "An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, a life for a life… Its an age-old law, you'd think that I could understand that, but you know what, I don't." He inspects the weapon for a moment and starts messing with the device as if he knows how to repair it.

"All that law ever did was continue a vicious cycle." His voice starts to get angrier, "And you've decided to continue that, and for what? Did you bring yourself closure? Did causing another person's death somehow make up for the death of your friend? Stardust, do you think risking yourself to the fiery inferno in order to avenge your friend was worth it?!" The man angrily asks.

Then he takes a deep breath and calms down, before carrying the weapon over and handing it to me, "Besides, if you were looking to make him suffer, you did a shitty job. He felt pain for at most, oh I don't know, a few seconds before the flames and punch incinerated him."

He looks me in the eyes before continuing, "So tell me Stardust, do you think murdering Ludo was worth it? Because I certainly don't, and I assume that boy would be appalled by what you just did. He doesn't seem like the type that would like retribution, let only retribution at this scale."

The teen disappears before I can answer him.

The massive creatures dissipate into dust as I just stay there, on my bare knees, _"Was this… Was all of this, worth it?"_ I suddenly grab my sides; my stomach starts to hurt for some reason.

" _It had to be worth it… I avenged Marco's death didn't I?"_ I struggle to stand on my own two legs, but I manage with the help of the wolves and quietly limp over into the next room- a control room for a dimensional crystal. I hesitate for a moment, but still choose to blast the object to smithereens.

After that, I quietly limp out of the dark citadel, the monsters running away in fear of me. _"Was all this terror and destruction and death worth it? Ludo was supposed to be harmless… But he was able to kill Marco…"_ I shake my head and close my eyes, _"No, it's my fault! I should've stopped the blast the moment I saw that he was going for something…"_ I punch the citadel wall in frustration, leaving a small dent in the hard brick.

It takes a few moments of painful walking for us to reach the Citadel's outer wall- where I first entered this dimension. When we finally reach the outside again, Bulgoyaboff greets me with, "So is the deed done, Madame Butterfly?"

I simply nod in response.

"Do you think it was worth it, Madame? Has Ludo's death brought you the closure you seeked?" He calmly asks, and I respond by weakly glaring at him, "I'll take that as a no." The frog says with his deep Russian accent.

With that I quietly cut open a portal back to Earth.

The Russian frog grabs my shoulder before I can step though, "Just know Madame, if you ever need someone to talk to, please, do not hesitate to come to me. I will be taking care of my babies, but there is always room for you with me."

Then, I quietly step through the portal, not even bothering to acknowledge his offer.

When I finally get back to the Diaz home, I step over to the large princess bed fall onto the soft mattress, _"This is all my fault!"_

The wolves release the power required to change them, and revert back into small pups. The two climb onto the bed beside me. I grab one, and hold it to my chest.

" _Ouch_." I think, after feeling a sudden pain in my breasts, _"What's going on."_ I try to get up so I can figure out what's happening, but for some reason I just can't get up anymore. It's as if something has just zapped my energy in a single fall swoop. Then again, I suppose raiding a citadel would take a lot out of you.

And so I lie on the bed and fall asleep.

 _A few hours a later…_

"Ugh." I groan, _"What's going on with me…"_ I struggle, but manage to roll myself onto my back. _"I've been feeling weird ever since…"_ The mere idea of that night- that beautiful night- brings back so many memories. The moments of ecstasy and joy- the feeling of finally letting the truth out and then, to take that truth to the next level, I remember the feeling, the pure and true feeling. That night, Marco and I became closer than ever before…

And to think, all of that would be taken away just a few short days later brings tears to my eyes.

I weakly force myself out of the bed and onto my weary legs. I manage to get myself to move down the stairs and into the kitchen. It's night outside and no doubt Angie is already upstairs sleeping. There's another plate on the table, this time filled with tomato sauce, pasta, and a slice of garlic bread. I almost puke at the smell of the spicy food.

" _What's wrong with me? That night we…"_ I think, as I realize, _"Am I… No, I can't be…."_ I start to tear up from the mere possibility, " _If I am, how will I go on… Without Marco…"_ Then, I slam my fists against the table.

"Why couldn't I save you Marco?!" I shout, "Why is this happening to me?! This was all Ludo's fault… but now he's dead, so why do I feel like nothing's changed?!" I slap the plate away weakly, causing it to slide to the other end of the table.

"Because you're still blaming the wrong person, Stardust."

I look up at the figure with tears in my eyes. This time, it's taken the form of Ludo. He strolls over and takes a seat directly across from me, "You blamed Ludo and now you're blaming yourself. "

"So who should I blame?!" I desperately ask, this… spirit? Entity? You know what, it doesn't matter what he is. All I do know is that it isn't Marco.

He sits back, "Haha, who to blame huh? I know, why don't you blame the reason, or should I say reasons that caused you to go after Ludo. Ya know, your Echo Creek friends." Then he looks me straight in my eyes, "Or better yet, blame Marco's parents for taking you in, or maybe even your own for birthing you!" Then it laughs, "Ahh who am I kidding, it is probably your fault, go ahead and blame yourself. It's pointless to resist. You know that it's your fault! But hey, go ahead and be angry at someone else!" Then, without warning it disappears, but I still hear it whisper, "You know that it's pointless to get angry, after all, being angry won't change anything."

" _Whose fault…"_ I think for a moment, _"It's my fault and no one else's_!" I let the tears roil down my face _, "If only I was fast enough… If only I could've stopped the attack… if only I could've saved him in time!"_ I bury my head in my arms- letting my golden hair lazily droop over the table. I feel angry for being so weak, so incompetent, so weak, so… worthless. I had my best friend; my lover and I couldn't save him.

I look up and take out my wand, before angrily throwing it at the wall, "I'm supposed to be the bearer of this stupid, pathetic stick!" the pink wand leaves a dent in the drywall and hits the ground like a plastic toy.

"Star…." Marco's mother quietly steps down the hard, wooden stairs, "Why are you still up?"

I turn to her with my tear-filled eyes, "What do you want?"

She walks over and places her hand on my back, "I want to… I want…." She stutters, most likely unsure of her answer, "I want to help you… Marco was my son, I loved him." More tears stream down my face, "But you didn't love him the way I did…" I quietly say. "What do you mean?" She takes a seat to my left.

I glare at her; "I loved him… I loved him truly… He loved me…" tears stream down my face, "It's all Ludo's fault, it's all my fault!" I quickly get out of the chair and slam my fists against the hard wood.

Angie takes my left hand in her hands, "Please Star, it's not your fault…" I look her, "Yes it is. I have infinite power at my fingertips, and I couldn't save him! His death is all my fault!" Angie lets go of my hand and walks over to the pink wand, "Please Star, it's not your fault…"

Then she hands me the wand, "Maybe… Maybe you can change this."

I take the item in my hand for a moment, before throwing it at the wall again, "This is all your fault!" I screamed as I pointed at the damaged wand- its left wing now slightly bent. "If I had never even got this cursed thing, Marco would still be alive! It's your fault!" Then, get up and kick the wand, sending it flying across the room. It's your fault that Marco's dead!

"Star…" Angie starts, but instead of answering, I just quietly walk over and grab my wand and head upstairs to my room.

" _I feel horrible…"_ I jump on my bed once more and immediately fall asleep.

The next morning, I wake up with the same nausea I've been waking up with for the past week.

I force myself out of the bed and stand on my weak legs, while I desperately try- and fail- to stop myself from puking all over the floor.

"Hey Angie!" I weakly yell, as I fall back onto the bed.

"Yes Star?" The woman says, obviously putting on a fake smile in a bad attempt to be as cheery as possible, "You called?"

I groan *Ugh* "Hey Angie, I'm not feeling so hot can you, can you take me to a doctor?" I ask and Angie doesn't hesitate to help me up, "No problem Star, I'll take you there right now." Then she helps me into my green dress and drives me over to doctor.

Within twenty minutes, I'm sitting in an empty doctor's office.

"Star Butterfly to room 2." The young nurse calls, and I comply by going into the white, cold office room. I sit on a soft plastic bed, covered in paper. It takes a few short minutes of waiting, but eventually the tall man in a white lab coat walks in, "Hello Ms. Butterfly. How are you doing?"

It takes all of the effort I have to not puke on his feet. "Not very well… for the past few weeks I've been having weird cravings, vomiting, I've felt tired a lot…"

The man takes a moment to think, before saying, "And? Those are the symptoms for a lot of illnesses Ms. I need something more substantial."

"And well…" I awkwardly continue, "I've felt pain in my stomach." I motion around my pelvis, "And my breasts have felt really tender too."

"Hmm," The man goes, "I think have an idea of what can be wrong with you, but you have to answer truthfully. Were you sexually active a few weeks ago?" Then he motions for me to lie down on my back.

"How long ago do you mean?"

"Oh, about six to eight weeks."

I hesitate for a moment before lying down and answering, "Yes… one time…"

Then, the man continues, "Interesting." He whispers, "Please, move your shirt up." I comply while the doc grabs a weird device and places it on my exposed belly, "I'm just using this to listen in. I have my suspicions."

"Hmm, I see." I hear him whisper.

Then, he moves away, before going into his drawer and handing me a small stick, "I believe I know why you've been experiencing those symptoms, but just to make sure, I would like you to urinate on this stick for me."

"Ok…" I let my voice trail off. Then I quietly head over to the small restroom. I take the small, white stick and pee all over the darn thing. _"I wonder what this thing is… And why the heck did the doc want me to pee on it… "_ A moment after I finish on the object I walk out of the room and hand it to the doc- who is now wearing a set of plastic gloves.

The man takes a moment to read the result, "Well, congratulations Ms. Butterfly, you're pregnant."

I stare at him for a moment, "But… how? It was one time and…"

"That's all it takes miss. All of your symptoms are normal for pregnant women. They should clear up in a few weeks." The man proceeds to take out a chart detailing the cycle of a human pregnancy, "See, by what you're saying you should be in the early stages."

Shock doesn't even begin to describe what I feel, "I'm… pregnant…" The man precedes to hand me the chart, "Yeah, or at least that's what the test says. I would like to take some blood just to make sure, and I would like you come back in a week for a check up. Are you ok with that?"

" _I'm pregnant… with Marco's- the dead Marco's child… what am I going to do?!"_

"Ms. Butterfly?"

I snap out of my train of thought for a moment, "Huh, oh yeah, that's fine."

The man then motions me to sit down on the nearby chair and pulls out a needle and vial. He quickly jams the darn thing in my arm and pulls one full vial of my blood.

After that, he sends me home without any more questions. Thank God.

 _A few minutes later_

"Welcome home Star!" Angie greets while she stirs some dough, "What did the doctor say?"

I hesitate, what am I supposed to say? How can I tell her that I have her son's child growing inside of me?

"Star?" She says, turning to face me with a worried expression, "What's the matter?"

I turn my head away from her, and rub my arm awkwardly.

She drops the bowl in the sink, before coming over and embracing me, "Come on Star, what's the matter?"

"I- I'm pregnant…" I quietly respond.

Angie lets go of the embrace and calmly crouches in front of me, before she asks with a slightly panicked voice, "How? Who, who's the father?"

I quietly answer, "Marco…"

She stands up in shock for a moment, before regaining her composure. "I see…" She continues in a concerned voice, before motioning me to come and sit on the couch. I comply, and she takes a seat next to me.

After a few moments of deafening silence Angie speaks up, "Tell me Star…"

"Tell you what?" I ask, with slight confusion. Angie then turns to me and answers, "Tell me, what have you done with my son… Tell me what you truly thought of him before he…"

I turn to Angie with tear-filled eyes, "I loved him… I loved him purely. I tried to hide behind a veil of ignorance… but he found out anyway. And we consummated our relationship that same day." Angie starts to tear up too. "And he's dead now… And it's all my fault!"

Then, I strike my chest, "This is all my fault," I hit myself again, "I took his seed and now it's growing within me!" I bury my face in my arms.

Angie holds me, " Now, now Star, you don't need to blame yourself, I understand."

"No you don't!" I scream, to which she quietly answers, "I know more than you'd expect." Then she lets go, "Now come on, how about we tell your parents…"

"No!" I desperately answer, "I can't tell them about this! How'll they react when they find out that my guide, a commoner, got me pregnant?!"

"They'll love you. They'll understand…." Then, Angie helps me stand up, "Now come on, let's call them. Let's- let's get this dealt with…" She struggles with her words. Then, she guides me upstairs up to my room.

"Call 'parents' please" Angie kindly asks the mirror and the object buzzes to life.

"Why hello Star and Angie, why have you called on such an… unusual day?" Angie motions to me, "Star, tell your parents the truth ok? I'll leave you three to it I guess…" Then, she quietly walks out of the room.

"Star, what is this about?" My father asks with slightly bored expression.

I hesitate for a long moment, _"Do I tell them the truth… They know Marco's dead but… can I trust them not to freak out?"_

My mom breaks the silence that had formed between us, "Star? Is there anything you need to tell us?"

" _I should tell them… They won't like it, but they need to know."_ So it takes me a moment to come up with the words, "Mom, dad…"

"Yes my dear?" My dad cheerfully says.

"There's something I have to tell you?" I awkwardly rub the back of my head as they come in closer, "I'm pregnant."

They stand there, as if stunned by a Taser.

"Mom? Dad?" I whisper.

My parents then turn to each other with worried expressions. "Mom, dad?" I whisper again, hoping to get a hopeful answer from them.

"Well, you see Star… It's hard to explain…" My dad rubs the back of his neck and my mom continues for him, "We're worried about you…"

I start to tear up, "Why…"

My parents put on worried expressions on their faces, "You've just lost your best friend… and you're pregnant with his child now."

Then my dad continues for her, "And there may be some… complications with the pregnancy?"

"What do you mean?" I hesitatingly ask. My mom answers, "You see Star… Mewman women have… trouble bringing hybrid children to full term and then giving birth to said hybrid children."

"In the best case scenario, the child you give birth to will be healthy, but you'll have to stay healthy yourself. And even in that case, there's a high likelihood of birth defects, low birth weight and miscarriage." My dad calms down to explain that to me, before continuing, "You've taken a great loss…"

"We're really worried for you Star."

I don't know why, but I decide to ask, "What's the worst case scenario?"

My parents look at each other again, "Star, we don't think-"

"Please tell me. Please, I want to know what's threating Marco and my child."

The queen sighs, before answering, "The worst case scenario is you miscarrying the child late in the pregnancy. Though, we're not sure what to think because humans and Mewmans are so similar you know, biology wise. So… there is a chance your child will be fine."

She finishes with an extremely worried tone, "But still I don't think anyone knows what's going to happen."

Then, my dad says, "We hope for the best, if you need advice, please don't hesitate to call us."

Without warning, something messes with the mirror because it suddenly fades to static and I just stand there, unsure of what to think.

The feeling of dread hangs over me, paralyzing me with its grey claws. But after a few short moments, though it feels like an eternity to me, I decide to tap the mirror, causing the static to clear up a bit.

"I warned you Moon, I warned you that having her live with a young boy would end with her getting pregnant!" my mother complains. My dad simply replies, "Calm down my dear, what matters now is not who is right or wrong. What matters is whether or not our daughter can take another potential loss!"

I choose to continue listening, and luckily they don't notice me watching.

"Well… the guardians of life and death are always able to take requests, but very few have reached them, let alone get them to grant a wish."

My dad nods his head, "You're right…" Then he hesitates, "Maybe we can find a way to help her."

With that I turn the mirror off, _"The Guardians of Life and Death… maybe there is still hope. Maybe, maybe I can make a deal with them to save Marco!"_ Then, I place my hands over where my unborn child rests, _"And hopefully my child too."_

Then, I jump under the bed, and pull out a massive book.

" _ **1-14-7-5-18 4-15-5-19-14-'20 19-15-12-22-5 1-14-25-20-8-9-14-7. 9-20 2-21-9-12-4-19 14-15-20-8-9-14-7, 2-21-20 9-20 3-1-14 4-5-19-20-18-15-25 5-22-5-18-25-20-8-9-14-7." ~20-8-15-13-1-19 19. 13-15-14-19-15-14**_

 **A/N Here's chapter 2. Hope you enjoyed**


	3. Solemn Authority

" _ **Bargaining makes you come up with the best ideas" ~Trey Parker**_

Chapter 3

I struggle to pull the heavy book from the bed as always, though I eventually manage, "Ok, Book, where are the guardians of life and death?" I whisper while flipping through, eventually coming to a page with a blue genie sleeping on it.

"Glossaryck! Get up!" I shout as I grab the genie and throw him out of the book, much to his dismay.

He spins in mid-air for a short moment, before gaining his balance and responding, "What is it Star? Why did you just throw me out of my book without warning?"

"Glossaryck!" I shout, "I need to find the guardians of life and death! I need to get them to bring Marco back!"

"The guardians?" The blue genie tilts his head in confusion, yet I stay silent.

"Well, there's no information on those in this spell book. I know that for sure."

"Glossaryck! I'm desperate! Do you know anything about them?!"

He floats closer to the book, "Of course I've heard of them before. Maybe there's something on them in the royal archives."

"The royal archives." I whisper, "Thanks."

"Anytime, princess." He responds, lying down and shutting the book on himself.

Then, I grab my dimensional scissors, and with a single movement, I slice my way to Mewni.

A few moments later, I find myself standing at the entrance to a massive library filled to the roof in books. The decrepit room breathes of an eerie tranquility. It uses old flame lanterns to illuminate the darkness. The place is so… dead. It's as if no one has been around this place for so long that everything and everyone has turned into ghosts.

Also I can swear that the fiery chandeliers are watching me judging if my soul would make a good meal. When I walked in, they turned to face me, revealing golden disks that I assume to be their eyes.

I stand in awe for a few moments at the daunting task ahead, before slapping myself back to reality.

"Hello princess." The old librarian says. It's a ghostly man with a yellow antenna in his head. I swear that he has soul-eating face on his abdomen. He has a single, glowing red eye.

I quietly walk up to him. "Hey." I whisper, "Where can I find information on the guardians of life and death?

The old man wearily hands me a small lamp, similar to the chandeliers. It too has golden disks where I would suspect eyes would be. Its metal covering feels like it burns my very core.

"Don't worry, young one, this lamp only heats your heart up in order to understand you better. It won't steal your soul." Then she raises her arm and points to a set of dusty shelves, "I believe what you're looking for is there. Please, feel free to take your time."

"Thank you sir." I answer, before silently walking towards the shelves, the ghostly lamp leading the way.

"Section 0013. Section 0011. " I move past the miscellaneous aisles of books, before coming to a small, plain one. Compared to the rest, the aisle is bone dry; there are only a few books on the subject present, "Aisle 0003, 4th dimensional beings."

The fiery ghost lamp suddenly perks up, and uses its metal "arms" to point at a single book in the aisle.

I let it go and it floats up. It proceeds to quietly grab a medium-sized book and bring it down to me.

"Thank you." I whisper, before sitting on the floor with the ghost lamp floating over my shoulder. Then, using the spirit's blue flame to light up the book, I read aloud,

" _ **Note: all information in this book is true. Everything said in this book comes directly from the source and from information collected from local legends."**_

"Ok…" I hesitate for a short moment, before turning the page.

" _ **In the beginning there was nothing. Then, from the darkness the first beings appeared. They Omega and Zeta- the guardians of order and chaos."**_

I decide to skip past the history on these creatures and instead move directly to basic information on them.

" _ **Entities are a unique species- born from unknown power. It is believed that because of their 4**_ _ **th**_ _ **dimensional nature they..."**_

"Blah, blah, blah. Where can I find them?!" I start flipping through the random book without bothering to read up more.

" _ **Entities are known to live in interdimensional space, there they work the keep balance between all multiverses. It is believed to be impossible to reach this region, as special magic prevents normal people and magic from breaking into it."**_

I slam the book shut, "Impossible huh? I'm going to find the guardians of life and death if it's the last thing I do!"

Then, I raise my wand and I concentrate. A small sphere of light appears in front of the golden star. The ball grows larger and larger until it seems to have reached its limit.

"So, you're going after Life and Death themselves huh?" The ghostly creature silently walks to my side, before taking the form of my mother, "Seems a bit much, don't you think Stardust?"

I glare at the figure, "Of course it's not!" I struggle to keep the light sphere under control, but I manage to lower my wand, "Marco's worth the risks. I know he'd do the same."

"But you do you at least know how dangerous your next actions are right?" The woman walks over and hugs me, "You should know, after all it's the second thing your mother taught you."

I nod, "Yeah, if I were to mix my wand and dimensional scissors I run the risk of breaking the delicate balance that keeps the multiverse stable." I hold my wand up and ready myself to fire, before turning to her with tear-filled eyes. "But to get Marco back, I'm willing to take that risk, whether you like it or not…" Then I concentrate, and the hearts on my cheeks glow with pure energy. The Star on my wand glows pure white, and envelops the object in white aura.

With a single movement I grab and throw my dimensional scissors ahead of me.

"Marco, I will save you! Go, Creation Burst!" a powerful beam of light strikes the blue gem holding the tool together, causing it to reflect the beam back at me.

My body glows with pure energy from head to toe. The golden power envelops the wand and engulfs the royal archives, before transporting me to a starry place. After that, I'm floating in empty space, with the stars above and the planet earth below.

Then, without warning, five colored orbs appear under me in a pentagon formation before combining into a single white orb. I raise my wand, holding it with both of my hands.

The white orb immediately flies above the magical rod, as if knowing my next command.

I don't hesitate to shout, "Infinity Gear Breaker!" And with that that wand starts to glow brighter than ever before.

Then, I hear a crack.

A single, golden shard shoots out from my wand, but I don't stop. Instead I order my wand to keep going.

Another shard shoots off.

"I call upon all of the powers of my star! Release your true might from my wand!" A pink shard breaks off. Yet, my wand breaking is the least of my worries. Instead, I keep going at it with all of my strength.

The breaking shards just seem to increase my determination to keep going. I struggle to fight on as my wand slowly falls apart, leaving only the main body, some of the shattered faceplate and the handle.

Then, with one final push I cry, "Go Shining Nova! With all of my power, and the power in the Royal magic wand I, Princess Star Butterfly break the barrier between dimensions!" The wand glows even brighter for a short moment, before exploding in in a burst of pure energy.

After that, I find myself standing before a small tear in the space-time; much different from those that I make with the scissors. I stare at it for a moment, before stepping through.

Immediately, I find myself stepping onto a clear, glassy pathway. My green dress transforms into an elegant white wedding dress as I step onto the majestic platform.

This place is filled with an air of hope and fear, of pain and joy. As if this place is defined by duality.

Yet, despite this fact, all is quiet. I feel as if I'm the only person around.

The glass pathway is cold and hard against my bare feet, while my white dress feels warm and soft against my skin. Just how I would've expected it to be the day of my wedding.

"What is this place?" I whisper.

Suddenly, a small orb of light appears in front of me. "What the…" I hesitate, "What is this?" I stretch my hand out and the order floats over to it. It feels soft, yet filled with energy, like that blue electric sheep thing Marco and I had to bring back to its herd. Inside the orb is a recording of the day I met Marco, with flaming rainbows and everything. Tears roll down my face despite my best efforts.

Then another appears; inside was the time Pony head came to visit. Before I can even finish that one, another appears and another and another. Within moments I'm surrounded by silver orbs, all playing recordings of my adventures with Marco. I can 't help but watch them all, tearing up as I got closer to the present.

Every single thing I did with Marco since I first came to earth was there- it was almost as if someone had been recording us the whole time. After that, I trudge on, desperately trying to hold onto the happy memories, yet it's no use; whenever I try to take an orb with me, it dissipates into worthless dust.

With tears rolling down my cheeks, I quietly move on towards the shadows ahead. The only light comes from floating orbs of light. I continue in the dark for hours, before I finally reach a small junction. The glass path ends here, at the edge of a black hole. I notice several branching paths around the pit.

"Where am I?" I say aloud, while I rub my right arm. The air here breathes of an eerie tranquility; as if deeds, neither good nor bad, hold and weight.

"You are between dimensions, Ms. Stardust." A voice answers. In shock, I immediately turn my head rapidly, "Who are you?! Where are you?!"

"Stardust, I am someone you'll know soon enough. I know you've come for the guardians of life and death. After all, you have been destined to do so."

Then I look up, above the black hole and I spot a distorted figure looming above. Its dark, twisted arms connected to the… roof of this dark place by gooey threads. Its body consists of black heads with orange glowing eyes, "I am Ethioth. And for now, that is all you need to know about me, Ms. Stardust."

He moves his body ever so slightly, before continuing, " So tell me, am I correct to assume why you have come?"

"Yeah, Ethioth, I've come for life and death." Then I wait a beat, "Hey! Why'd you call me Stardust?!" I continue in a calmer tone, "Only Marco calls me that…"

"You shall know in due time Stardust." He –I assume he at least- answers.

Then I raise my fists as threateningly as a mortal possibly could against a literal god, "Now tell me where they are before I do something crazy!"

Ethioth laughs, "Ha ha! Ho ho! Oh Star, I know you have lost your wand. I watched you use it to break through the barrier. And I watched it explode. Azzathoth destined you for that." Then, he moved one of his shadowy arms over and held it in front of me, "Now Star, I'll show you where they are, come along now."

I hesitate for a moment, " _should I really trust this… thing?"_ I think, and Ethioth replies, "You can trust me, I am the one of the guardians of the All-Seeing-Eye, and the planner of all events of good. You can trust all entities, for all non-corrupted ones are pure of heart, mind and body."

His hand feels warm, yet hard against my feet, as if it is covered in calluses from work. He smells like rotten tomatoes and old fish.

With his free hand he points at one of the paths, "Follow this path, and you'll find them." Before he places me at its base, "I wish you luck, though I do know what shall happen. After all, I, with my brother Azzathoth, have planned what shall come next."

"I assume you can't warn me about anything then, right?" I ask with a hopeful tone.

"Of course not. What has been planned is planned and none may know except for The True Guardian of Chaos and Order. Yet I will warn you that though you've taken one great lost, there are those still willing to take you. Beware the Agent of Death- Mercury. You may have beaten him in the sanctuary, but in this place he is much more powerful."

"What do you mean?" I ask, but instead of answering, he just motions for me to step off his hand and says, "Good luck Star, and may you find closure from death in life."

" _I hope you're telling the truth Ethioth."_ I think as I step off the dark creature's hand and onto another glass path. _"What do the guardians of life and death even look like?"_

"You will know." Ethioth answers, "Good luck Stardust." With that, Ethioth returns to his place, leaving me behind on the glass path.

I then turn and begin walking again. Eventually I reach a valley-like area. I can smell grass here, yet the only thing that surrounds me are walls of foggy glass. Then I hear someone running.

Suddenly, green arrow zooms past my face. I flinch, and step back, before slipping and falling on my butt, causing a second arrow, this one purple, to miss me.

"Crap!" I scream, as I scamper up and run away as fast as I can. A third and forth arrow fly into the glass where I had been.

Without my wand I can't do much to defend myself, _"So this is why Marco wanted to train me so much."_ I duck under a fifth and seventh arrow, before the sixth hits my poufy dress.

I can taste blood in my mouth.

" _I wish I hadn't summoned angels to obliterate him!"_ The eighth and ninth barely miss my head.

My heart pounds in fear. I can feel the sweat running down my exposed legs. For a few minutes I feel as if the sweat falling off my legs is going to cause me to fall.

I keep running. At this point, I think who ever is firing these arrows just wants to lead me on, albeit in a violent and terrifying way.

Soon, the Glass path starts to taper off and ends at a dark island floating in the void. I don't have time to take in the scenery, though from what I glance at, the island isn't big at all. It's filled with the weakly hanging branches of dead trees, as if some poison had quickly eaten the island's life. The whole place smells of death while the soil feels like the thing they use to make roads.

I don't hesitate to run through the island, with the… I'll assume archers, continuing to unleash their load on me. _"Come on, please!"_ Then, an arrow hits my dress and pins my arm to a nearby dead tree. I desperately try to remove the arrow, but the weapon isn't solid; it seems like hardlight more than anything else.

Two masked soldiers approach me after that. They glance at me for a moment, before turning to each other. They wordlessly pull the arrow out, point in the opposite direction, and walk away into the shadowy abyss that was inter-dimensional space.

" _That was weird…"_ I follow the direction the soldier had pointed in.

More walking… Just great. It feels like forever passes before I reach them, the Guardians of life and death.

I find two cubes, one orange and the other purple, dancing around each other in a figure 8 motion. I hide behind one of the nearby live trees. _"Are those them?"_ I carefully look at the two cubes, before going back behind my cover and sighing, _"If I'm going to save Marco, I have to find out what these two... Things are."_ So I get out from the tree and approach the two.

The orange one immediately notices me, and breaks the dance to greet, "Hello stranger. Who are you, and why have you come here?" It speaks with a calm, masculine voice.

The purple cube immediately follows suit with, "Why ask her that? You know why she has come to our domain. Ethioth has already informed us her arrival."

The two cubes begin to circle around me; as if I were a star and they were two fast moving planets. "Of course, we already know why you're here Star, but why don't you ask us it anyway? It might give us a good kick in answering."

I hesitate for a moment, "I don't see the point? If you know what I'm going to ask, why bother in the first place?"

The two cubes split off from me, before stopping and taking glowing humanoid forms. The orange becomes a tall, lean man that reeks of cologne while the purple becomes a medium woman with a rough exterior.

"Simple reason Star, I want you to question your motives for coming here before you outright tell us." The orange man steps closer, "After all, you're talking to all-powerful beings and you have nothing to defend yourself with; so start talking why don't ya."

I think, _"This guy is crazy, but the girl is… fine I suppose."_ Then I sigh, "I've come for my friend, Marco Diaz. I have come to request that he be brought back to life."

The woman stares at me with a straight, "You aren't the first to come here asking for the life of a friend." She wipes a tear from her eye, "And we would, but no. We learned our lesson about reviving the dead a long time ago."

"But please! I need him back!" I fall to my knees and begin to beg, "Please, I can't care for this child without him!"

"In exchange for the life taken from you, I gave you the life that resides in your womb." The orange man says in a clam and soothing tone, "Your friend has died. I'm sorry, I wish I could do something about it."

"I'll make a deal! Any deal to get him back!" I shout, but the man shakes his head.

He shakes his head, "No Star. We don't make deals. We are neither Ciphers nor demons. We are entities."

"Bu- but I…."

"But nothing. Once the guardians have made a decision, we stick by it." The woman cuts me off, "Feel lucky that I let you keep the pregnancy. With one snap of the finger I can cause you to go through a painful miscarriage."

"Now, now, there's no need to go to extremes my partner." The Orange man calmly says to the woman, before turning to me, "I found it too tragic for you to have lost your friend whom you loved, and had nothing to show from it. So I allowed you to have something to keep you close to him, even if it is to be left in your womb for months to come. Please do not take this the wrong way."

I turn away with tears in my eyes, _"So my trip here was for naught… Marco's dead and the guardians of life and death won't help me."_ Then I turn back _,_ "Please! I'll do anything! I'll give everything up to have him back! Please I need him!" I fall back on my knees. I feel weak, as if the mere thought of having had made a worthless trip sapped all of my strength.

The orange man kneels down and places his soft hand on my shoulder, "I'm sorry, but the books are balanced." He looks me in the eyes as he continues, "If there was anything I could do, I'd do so… If you want I can talk to Aither and Erebus, you know the guardians and monarchs of heaven and the underworld… I can let you see him in spirit again."

More tears fill my eyes, before the purple woman grabs the man and slaps him, "No! You know what Aither and Erebus said about bringing mortals to their plane! Why do you even care about this girl! Send her away! It's not like she's important to the stability of the dimensions!"

"Hmph." The man angrily responds while crossing his arms and turning to the woman, "I'm the guardian of life for a reason. I care for all life, and I want to see it flourish." He turns back to me and loosens his composure, "I can't bear to see a mortal, especially a pregnant one, have to face a loss as close as this."

"So what? As the guardian of life, it is your duty to let this happen." The woman's voice gets rougher with every word, "I know you care for and love creating life, but even you know we can't bring back the dead for no reason. You have to let go, remember?"

Then, the purple woman turns to me and continues in a commanding voice, "She has to go. Send her away."

The man thinks for a moment, before reluctantly saying to me with tear-filled eyes, "My partner is right. Giving you the chance to see your best friend and father to your child would just break your heart more." Then he gives me a warm hug and I break down in tears, "Was this trip all for nothing?!" I yell, "I've given my wand- my most prized possession, to save him!"

The man turns to his partner, before snapping his fingers. Immediately, the once destroyed wand reappears in my hands, "I'm sorry you came here for nothing. Take your wand back as a sign of apology."

Then the purple woman glares at the man before commanding, "Ethioth and Azzathoth! Send this girl home; she has more problems to deal with when she returns.

I hear Ethioth respond, "As you wish."

I feel hopeless, as if no power in the universe can help me, but then I feel my blood boil. I can sense the fire in my eyes and the metallic blood in my mouth. I clutch the wand, my wand tightly. "No," I whisper, before standing up straight while clutching my wand, "not yet. I'm not done." Before Ethioth even has the chance to send me away, I've already used the wand to teleport back to him.

"The Guardian of Life mentioned the guardians of heaven and hell! Where are they?!" I demand while aiming the wand at the shadowy figure, eliciting a cheery laugh from him, "Haha! You think that pea shooter is strong enough to threaten me?!"

Then, he points down the opposite path, "Their dominion lies in that direction. Please do not be too brash against them. They are known to love messing with mortals."

I just nod and hurry down the glass road, this time without incident.

It only takes me a few short moments to finally reach them, two massive creatures guarding the doors to the afterlife.

A few minutes later, I stand before the two, the one on my right is a woman clad in silver armor with golden highlights. She wears a white cloth cape and has a golden ring floating behind her. She stands in front of simple translucent door decorated with the Big Dipper constellation.

To my left is a seemingly vicious man wearing black armor adorned with thorns and red decorations. He has a black ring floating behind him and stands in front of a dark door decorated with snakes and demons of all kinds. The pillars on both sides seem to be made of rotten plants

"Why have you disturbed us?!" The black-clad warrior shouts as he forces his hand in front of him, as if preparing to attack.

"Do not act like you do not know Erebus." The Woman answers as she turns to me, "But give us a laugh and ask anyway."

I raise my wand in response, "I have come here for the soul of my beloved! I demand that you free him!"

The dark man chuckles, as does the light woman.

"If you wish for your friend's soul back, then you must trade another for it. The guardians of life and death have denied your request and so we will only fulfill it if you give up your own soul for him!" The woman declares.

I pause and take in the scene in front of me.

For the first time in months, I'm unsure of what to do. It's as if my heart and mind are arguing over whether this is worth it.

The lady continues with, "We will kill you and give the person you want back your body if you are so desperate. We do that all the time, most mortals don't know how to stop themselves."

The man then continues, "And before you ask, we do not play card games for souls, sorry."

"What?!" I shout in response.

"Tell us your choice. We do not have all eternity to wait."

I stand there speechless. For the first time on my journey I've been forced to ask the question, "Is giving everything up worth getting Marco back?"

But before I can give my choice, the man declares, "I'll take your silence as a yes." before the lady fires a burst of energy at me, giving me mere seconds to respond.

In an instant I'm covered in a cloud of smoke.

Then the smoke clears and standing before me is Marco, holding a shield made from pure light.

"M-Marco?!" I shout and the boy immediately turns to me, "See ya Star! We'll talk later!"

Before I know it, my body starts to fade away. Before I even have the words to answer him, I'm back at the Diaz household, wearing the same pure white dress.

I try to hold my emotions in and fail. Instead I fall back onto Marco's bed and start bawling my eyes out.

During that, I notice a lone, red hoody, just hanging in Marco's closet. I stop crying and wipe my tears, _"Could it be?"_ I get off of the bed and carefully walk over to it. I quietly grab the jacket and try it on, _"A perfect fit..."_ I start to tear up again, _"It even smells like him. But even with his red hood I'm still not close enough... I'll never be close enough to him as long as he's dead and I'm living."_

I look out the window and into the rainbow sunset, _"So why even bother anymore? Why should I keep fighting if all I'd be doing is making it take longer to get back to him? Why even bother when everything is already set to happen, courtesy of Ethioth and Azzathoth?"_

Then I hold my growing bump _, "Even his child feels distant from me..."_ And so, I lie down on his bed once more, and cry myself to sleep that night.

" _ **9-20 8-21-18-20-19 20-15 12-5-20 7-15, 2-21-**_ _ **20 19-15-13-5-20-9-13-5-19 9-20 8-21-18-20-19 13-15-18-5 20-15 8-15-12-4 15-14." ~8-5-14-18-25 18-15-12-12-9-14-19**_

 **A/N Chapter 3 is said and done. I wonder if anyone could guess the theme of this story now.**


	4. Solemn Warning

" _ **You can never stop the inevitability of death, but you can make a mark in life." ~Project 00X**_

Chapter 4

 **Four Months Later...**

I trudge onto the beaten path alone, just as I have done ever since Marco's death. I stare at the ground, listening to the muffled sound my shoes make. The scent of autumn fills the air, its nocuous smell attacking my nose. I can taste the countless tears I've shed ever since my trip to visit the entities, then again, they all taste the same I suppose.

" _ **Come on! End it already. What's keeping you?"**_ I hear the same feminine voices say. They haven't stopped tormenting me since the day I came back from interdimensional space. The day I realized that this is my reality and I have no power over it.

Now that I think about it, I don't know what's keeping me going. Maybe... maybe it's the life that he growing in my young womb... Maybe it's the hope that Marco will somehow return... Maybe it's something that even I haven't noticed.

" _ **You'll never be with your lover again. So why do you bother?"**_

I tear up as I clutch onto his soft red hoodie. I haven't let this out of my sight ever since I found it, _"What's the point anymore…. What's the point of anything? Why do I even bother anymore?"_ I move my free hand over my now protruding abdomen. I've done my best to hide it as much as I could, but in the end it's difficult to hide an unborn child.

" _Maybe his child is stopping me…"_ I dread the idea of being a single mother whose only partner and lover is dead.

" _ **So why? What's the point? Nothing you've been told can help you in you!"**_

" _All those things they've given me to cope with. Would they even work? Is anything they've told me really true? Is Marco really in a better place? Those entities didn't even let me see him again. What if they're lying about him being ok? What if he's burning in a pit of endless despair and I can't do anything about it!_

Then I turn to look down at the old sidewalk ahead _,_ its concrete slabs are overgrown with fauna, _"And what'll happen when I die? When our child dies? It's like our only purpose in life is to die. If that's true then what's the point of keeping going?"_

" _ **Nothing. You'll be-"**_

"Hey Star, how you holding up?" Jackie calmly skateboards to my side, her voice cutting through my distressed thoughts and the voice hounding me, "It's been a while since I've seen you come outside, let alone come to school. Are you ok Star?" She carefully keeps skating at my side.

I just give her a small nod in response.

"You feeling any better about, ya know…" Her voice trails off.

I don't answer.

"Hey Star?" Jackie skateboards in front of me, her frustrated voice grates against my ears, "Come on Star, answer. I really want to help you."

"…Hey Jackie…" I quietly mutter, not even bothering to look up at her, _"What's the point of talking about feelings? About trying to make connections with people who will inevitably die?"_

" _ **Don't bother with her Star. She doesn't know your pain."**_ The voice speaks up. I don't even know whether or not I should trust her.

"You ok Star? I didn't see you after school yesterday… you know, to hang out with Alfonso, Ferguson and I; like you used to." Then she stops and dismounts, before kicking the board up to her hands.

" _ **She's not your friend. You can't trust her. Don't bother trying to make friends. She'll leave you just like the rest."**_

"I… I'd rather not Jackie. I'll just… I'll just head home ok?"

Jackie tilts her head in confusion, "You sure you don't want to… get some ice cream, or some candy, or anything? It's not like you to deny sweets."

I just shake my head in response, "No, I just want to go home."

"… Ok Star… Feel better." And with that, Jackie hops on her board again and skates away. _"What's the point of hanging out with those guys anymore? They're just going to die and leave me alone again…"_

A few minutes later I quietly walk into the Diaz household. The once bright household is filled with the air of depression. It's quieter than what it once used to be. The only sounds I can hear come from the TV, which was playing the credits to some TV show. It had two brightly colored men sitting on a park bench watching what I assume to be the apocalypse unfolding, "Jean-Paul Sartre postulated that every existing thing is born without reason, prolongs itself out of weakness, and dies by chance."

" _ **That's the truth. It's the cold, cold truth.**_

" _If that's the truth, then why do people even bother?"_ I think, yet I can't shake the feeling that, that what the voice is saying is a lie, _"Why even bother about anything if in the end it doesn't matter anyway?"_

" _ **That's right, you are just one Mewman, living on a single planet that is just one of billions. You are completely insignificant."**_

I quietly walk into the living room and take a seat at the nearby kitchen table.

"Oh Star, you're home!" Angie says, trying to keep her usual perkiness, while she turns the TV off, "Are you hungry? I could make some, uhh, spaghetti?"

I shake my head, "I'm fine. I'll just go to my room Angie." I walk passed her and head upstairs, "Ok Star… Don't stay up there too long! You have to go out sometime you know!"

She then continues in a less perky tone, "The only way you'll really heal is if you get out sometime." Then, I hear her walk away and sit back own on the couch.

It isn't long before I drop onto my bed and stare at the ceiling again, just as I had done for these past few months. I feel the child inside my womb kick for some reason, not that I'm surprised, "Why do I even bother anymore?"

I hold the bulge on my abdomen; my baby bump, "I guess if I weren't carrying a child- his child, I would've probably gone over the deep end by now."

My cellphone rings, but I don't bother to pick up. What's the point of talking to people if they're just going to leave me like Marco did, and I won't even know if they're in a better place.

" _ **Yeah, if you-"**_

" Come on girl! You can't just lie in bed all day!" Without warning, a turquoise pony head with a red mane appears at my bedside. Thankfully cutting the voice off.

"Ugh, Pony head, how'd you get in here?" I roll over onto my side to face the flying head.

"That doesn't matter, come on girl. Let's go out and have a girl's night!" the floating head moves over and pokes my side, prodding me to get up.

" _ **Everything is worthless. Don't bother spending time with her."**_

*Ugh* I groan, "I don't want to. I just want to lie down and rest!" I turn away; hoping that she'll leave me alone, but I know Pony Head won't give up that easily.

I hear some clanking behind me, before I feel a dull pain in my leg. _"What the?"_ I think, but before I can react, Pony Head drags me out of the bed and causes to sit up on the bedside. I stare at the blue head with a small heart on the side, "Pony Head! What was that about?!"

She doesn't respond and instead bites my arm, before pulling back, forcing me off the bed, "Pony Head!"

"Come on, if you don't want to dance, then how about I take you… to umm…" She stops and thinks for a moment, before taking my scissors in her mouth, "How about to the dance floor? Wouldn't that be fun, you know? Partying all night!"

" _ **She doesn't know what you've been through."**_ The voice interrupts, and for some reason Pony head acts like she heard it too for a moment, _**"Don't go out with her."**_

After that, Pony shakes her self back to reality, "Oh uhh, so what do ya think girl?"

"I don't really think so Pony Head… I just want to stay home. I'm pregnant ya know!"

"Yeah I know! But since when has dancing been bad for babies?!" Pony head cuts open a portal, before swallowing the scissors, "Come on girl! It'll be fun, everyone wants to have fun!" Then she flies over me, and uses her horn to push me into the portal.

" _Yeah, but what's the point of having fun when it can be taken away at any time?"_

A few seconds later I crash land on a soft beanbag chair; the blaring music in the background is the complete opposite of what I'm feeling right now. I quietly move around and sit upright in the chair. _"The sky club, why am I not surprised?"_

" _ **It's because you always come here. It's the same mundane party too. Just look at them, partying it up while you stand by and have to suffer."**_

Pony head immediately lands in the chair next to me, "Come on! We didn't come here to sit around! Let's dance!" Then she grabs my arm again and pulls me over to the dance floor. "We're gonna have fun!" she declares as she jumps around a gallops like a horse on the dance floor.

" _ **Don't dance, after all it could be bad for the baby."**_

" _I don't see the point of dancing anyway…"_ I think in response.

I stand there for a few moments, holding my baby bump. The mere thought of trying to dance with a child growing inside me is almost enough to make me puke. So instead, I quietly walk past the horde dancing teens and drop onto one of the soft beanbag chairs overlooking the dance floor.

"Come on Star! Dance with me!" Pony head flops around, trying to convince me to join her, "It's not good to stay out of the action at party like this! Come on, let's have some fun!" She then floats over to me, "Star? Are you ok?"

" _ **You remember this place, don't you Stardust?"**_

I start to tear up, _"I remember when I came here last time with Marco."_ I look at the flying pony head for a short moment, before turning and looking in the spike-filled void below, " _I wonder what would've happened if Marco had fallen that day. Maybe, maybe all of the pain I'm feeling now wouldn't be happening."_

" _ **Of course, but that was the then and this is the now. You have to live with your reality. Marco's dead, you're pregnant, and you can't do anything about either of those."**_

" _Maybe… just maybe I'd be happier if I had never met him…"_ I slap myself for even thinking of that, before lying back and holding my bump again. I do my best to ignore the loud music playing in the background, _"I've forgotten why I loved this music so much."_

"Yo Star! You ok?" The Pony head stops "dancing" and floats over to me, "You really don't want to dance huh? I should've seen this coming."

"Yeah Pony Head, I just want to go home and sleep."

She then spits out the scissors and cuts a portal back to Marco's home, before sighing, "Ok Star, you win. Go home, I wish I could've helped you more than I just did." Then she gives me the scissors, "Feel better, and good luck with the baby."

" _ **You'll need the luck Stardust. What are you going to do as a single mother?"**_

I nod and walk through, back into the empty home. I hesitantly sit back on my bed and lie back, _"What am I going to do… I'm five months along now and I haven't even bothered trying to plan my life with his child."_

" _What am I going to do as a single mother? And what's the point of it anyway? You know- if I'm just going to die just like Marco did…"_ I pull myself and look out of the window. I can see a crescent moon shining in the dark night sky, _"Is Marco really in a better place now that he's gone? Is anything that I've been told about the after life even remotely true? Why did the entities not want me to see him in spirit?"_

" _ **It's because he's probably burning in hell, just like you will be one day. Possibly even one day soon."**_

Tears start to roll down my cheeks just as they had done for months at this point.

" _ **So what if in the end death will come for you?"**_ The dark figure says as she manifests at the foot of my bed. She has no definite from what I can see. To me, she is just a void, a space of slightly darker air the moves around as if trying to hide something.

"You sick jerk, why do you choose to continue tormenting me?" I angrily ask the ghastly being, the being's ghostly hair flows as if strong wind is blowing it to the side.

The creature just laughs and answers, _**"I am not, yet I've chosen to visit one who is doing so."**_ The being sits down at my feet, _**"Do you know who I am?"**_

I glare at her.

" _ **Haha, you will know who I am soon. I have-"**_ Before the figure can finish, she stutters, before her form morphs into the shape of a young boy.

"Do you know who I am?" The being's dark form changed to one I recognize well, from his soft brown eyes to his deep brown hair. He looks at me with a warm expression.

"That's to be expected. Many of those whom I visit do not know who I am." He takes my hand in his own, "I have come to help you move on."

"What do you mean?" I snap at him.

He chuckles, "You seem concerned about the future. Tell me about it."

" _Who is this… thing? And why should I even trust him?"_

"Because I am closer to you than you think. In a way, I'm your guardian angel." He immediately answers.

"How did you?"

"Don't ask, just know that I'm closer to you than you think." He looks into my eyes with calm, soothing eyes- the eyes of my lover, "I know of the voices you've been hearing, and I have come from their manifestation."

I look at him in confusion and curiosity, "What do you mean?"

"You will know in due time." He answers with a soft, reassuring tone.

So I sigh, "I'm worried about the future. What's the point of anything if it's just going to disappear." Then I hold my baby bump, "The only thing that's keeping me going is the fact that I'm carrying another life in me, but I'm not even sure how long it will keep me going."

"They."

"What?" I immediately turn to the figure.

He quietly answers, "You'll know that in due time too."

I decide not to keep going at it to find his meaning. Instead, I let the tears roll down my cheeks, "I feel so alone. Like no matter what I do it won't matter."

"Yeah, you're right, none of it will matter in the end." He nonchalantly replies while standing up, "but who cares about that. If it matters to you, then it matters."

I look at him, and watch as he goes into one of my dressers, "So what if in the grand scheme of things, you're insignificant. So what? If something means anything to you than its more than worthless."

It pulls my wand out of the drawer and hands it to me, "Try to move on, after all, time will go on even if you choose not to." It then places its hand on my bump, "I urge you to move on, for the good of your children."

"But how? How can I move on with him?" I desperately ask, finally breaking my awestruck silence, "My best friend, my lover, the father of my child is dead!"

"Marco is still watching over you." Then he hands me the wand, before pulling me into an embrace, "Remember Stardust, the darkest hour is always before the dawn. Be well, princess of Mewni. Mother of Marco Diaz's children."

Then he lets go, "Your future awaits downstairs." With that, the creature disappears without a trace.

" _Downstairs…"_ I think, _"I wonder what I'll do there."_ I quietly pull myself out of my princess bed and head downstairs.

It's dark, as it should be, I quietly turn on the lights and find Raphael on the ground passed out drunk. I guess we all have our ways of coping.

Then I turn and face the empty kitchen. _"I wonder what I'll find there."_ With quiet steps, I walk over to the kitchen.

For the first time in months, the sink is full. _"Angie must've forgotten to clean them I guess."_

My gaze wanders over to the nearly empty drying rack; I notice a few blades resting against the side. I hesitate for a moment, before grabbing one of them resting and holding it with both hands. My legs tremble for a short moment, so I decide to slide down the cabinets and sit at the base of the sink.

The knife reflects my disheveled face. My once golden hair is now stained with dirt. The hearts on my cheeks are gone- lost with the countless tears I shed. _"To think- it would be so easy… so easy to…"_ My eyes fill with more tears.

Then, I pull out my wand out and stare at its damaged faceplate for a short moment, before looking at the weapon in my other hand. "Marco… I'll let you choose my fate." I whisper, "So tell me…" I shut my eyes and shuffle the objects in my hands. "Left or right?"

No response. I wait for longer, and still nothing. I sit there for what seems like hours.

Then, I hear a whisper, _**"Throw the object in your right hand."**_

Without hesitation I throw the object in my right hand- the wand.

The stick flies across the room and hits the radio Angie bought a few months back, causing it to fall floor and start playing.

" **Though I stand in darkness, light lives in me. I will not give up while you're here with me. And the dream of dawn gives me the strength to fight! I will not fall to the darkness of the night!"**

"The light lives in me…" I quietly whisper.

 **"Why are these pieces so hard to carry? Why are these feelings so hard to bury? "Why is change taking forever? I fear that I'll live in the darkness forever.**

"I do too…"

" **Yet, the dream of dawn gives me hope to fight! I will not surrender here tonight!"**

"The… The dream of dawn." I whisper as the song stops playing, and the radio cuts to random chatter.

Then, I hear another whisper, _**"So Stardust, why haven't you moved on yet?"**_

"Because…" Tears fill my eyes, "Because I just can't let go of you Marco… that's why." I hear a bell ring, _"There aren't any clock towers around here."_

" _ **Remember Marco and move on. That's the only way you'll be happy again. Do it for your children, do it for him, but most importantly, do it for yourself."**_ Then, I realize what I have to do. I look up and drop the knife- the weapon that could've been a deliverer of my own death.

I get off the kitchen floor and look out the window- into the dark abyss that is the night. I can see the full moon and the stars shining overhead, as if they know that I have made my choice.

Without hesitation I head upstairs to my room and change into the white wedding dress I had gotten from my trip to inter-dimensional space, before I quietly grab my yellow star purse, and grab the money Angie leaves by the TV in case I want to go out. _"Fifty dollars in total, that should be just enough."_

Without hesitation, I quietly walk to the front door, and open it. Instead of the cold night I expected it to be, a burst of warm air enters the home, immersing my body with its soft touch.

I stand in the doorway for a moment, before holding my bump once more, _"Marco, even in death, I feel close to you…"_ Then I look out into the dark, autumn night, before walking out, leaving my past behind.

" _ **1-20 20-8-5 5-14-4 15-6 20-8-5 4-1-25, 1-12-12 25-15-21 3-1-14 8-15-16-5 6-15-18 9-19 20-15 7-15 15-14. 20-8-5 15-12-4-5-18 9 7-5-20, 20-8-5 13-15-18-5 9 18-5-1-12-9-26-5 20-8-1-20 10-21-19-20 11-5-5-16-9-14-7 15-14 11-5-5-16-9-14-7 15-14 9-19 23-8-1-20 12-9-6-5-'19 1-12-12 1-2-15-21-20." ~10-1-14-9-19 9-1-14**_

 **A/N Here's chapter 4. Props to those who guessed the theme right.**


	5. Solemn Judgement

" _ **Don't look back in regret, but move on with hope." ~Anonymous**_

Chapter 5

It's a warm night, uncharacteristic of autumn not that I'm complaining.

For the first time in months I walk down the dark street with my head held high. I let the cool breeze flow through my blonde hair, causing it to float slightly at its ends. The street lamps and stars illuminate the path ahead of me. Weirdly enough though, the moon seemed to have golden glow around it, as if the sun is hiding behind it in a way.

All is quiet, save for the squeaking of my wedding shoes as I step through the puddles in my way. In the darkness of the night I can smell the smells of spring. It's if the smells autumn have completely disappeared and nature has decided to ignore winter. I can feel something inside my heart, growing, rising from the ashes of my past.

It's hard to run with a baby bump, but I fight through it. I know what has to be done. I may not know where I'm going, but I damned well know that when I get there I'll know.

A steamy fog starts to descend upon Echo Creek, making it nearly impossible to see ahead.

But I carry on, because I can see my destination standing above the cloud of fog.

" _There it is."_ I keep running and running. I eventually run off the beaten path and onto sandy sidewalks, "I can feel it, I'm almost there."

Soon enough, the sandy sidewalk is replaced with soft grass. I struggle to climb up the incline of the hill, but I manage somehow.

Within moments I'm standing at the top of a green hill. From here I can see the whole town of Echo Creek. I kick off my shoes, leaving my bare feet to feel the soft grass below me. I stand at the edge of the cliff with my arms outstretched. A single movement could send my plummeting to my death, yet I decide against it.

Instead, I let the cool autumn air flow around and envelop me, _"Life is so feely given, yet so easily taken. To think I would have taken my own and let it go."_

" _It's amazing and tragic what life can bring…"_ I open my eyes and hold my ever-growing bump. With tears in my eyes I think, _"How new life can come from the death of one."_ Then I turn around to face the town once more, before lying down on the cool, moist grass.

The sound of waves crashing into the shore is soothing to my ears and after a few short moments I find myself drifting away; drifting into a peaceful sleep.

When I open my eyes againI find myself lying in a field filled with flowers. I get up, and see a boy standing ahead of me, "Marco?"

"Hey Star, it's been a bit," The boy then turns around and smiles, before motioning to the flowers resting at my feet.

I kneel down pick out a single plant. Its stem is red, while its leaves are blue. The center of its face is white, while the petals are golden. The head is shaped like a small star, "Wow, it's beautiful Marco…"

"Yeah," He responds, "A perfect flower to remember someone by. I'll see you later Star."

"What?" I respond, as Marco walks away, "Wait Marco! Don't-"

"Don't worry about it Star." He cuts me off, "You'll see me soon."

And with that, Marco turns back around and waves to me, before I fall back to reality.

I open my eyes up with smile encompassing my face.

" _I know where to go."_ I think as I push myself out of the soft grass. It's now sunrise and I can hear the birds singing and the smell of flowers blooming. It's a perfect day to play a game of catch. With a single movement I pull my dimensional scissors out of my star handbag and cut open a pink-green portal, _"Dimension C-137. A planet devastated by a science experiment gone wrong, and the only dimension where that flower exists."_

Without hesitation, I step inside. I can see all of time and reality from here, though for only a brief moment. I can see worlds begin and end, millions of lives end, only to give rise to new life. I can see thousands of other versions of myself, some on the verge of death, others happy and living with Marco. I see thousands of Marcos forced to live without me.

Yet I do not see another one that has moved on, another version of myself that is happy without Marco alive.

Within a fraction of a second I'm brought to reality, the reality of the stardust flower.

I immediately find myself standing in an empty field. The red star looms above, while I take in the stench of death surrounding me, "This is no place for a beautiful flower to live," I think, "But I guess it would make sense."

I look to my right and to my left and ahead of me, and find nothing for miles. Yet, behind me stands beautiful meadow, filled with flowers of all kinds. Some I can recognize, while others are strange to me. I choose to step through the meadow in search of the flower.

I can smell lavender coming from the flowers at my feet, _"These aren't them."_ I think, _"But I can feel that they're close."_

" _It's amusing really, how so much beauty can come from a planet as ugly as this one."_ I quietly step through the fields of soft flowers. Then, just as I was about to lose hope of ever finding it, I spot a small patch of the golden flower.

"There they are." I whisper as I stroll over and pick two flowers from the patch. Then I cut a portal open, this time green with a black swirl and step through.

Immediately, I am transported to a familiar citadel. The dark skies haven't changed since that day, the day when he died.

When I step in, I approach the guard booth just as I had before, Buff Frog is still keeping watch and greets me with, "Hello Madame Butterfly. What business have you come for?"

I do not answer and instead raise one of the flowers in response.

"I see. His grave is over there." The frogman points at a river flowing outside the castle gates. From here, I can see a tombstone and a large object by it.

"Thank you." I whisper before quietly walking towards the grave, the final resting place for my age-old enemy.

The monsters had built his grave by the river, just like he probably wanted. His tombstone reads, "Ludo, A father to the monsters."

The large object is a statue, probably meant to glorify him as a hero, tragically killed in his prime, but I choose not to bother with it, I don't need to. After all, it's not what I came here to do.

I quietly approach the monster's grave and plant one of the flowers where his dust was buried, "I'm sorry Ludo, thank you for helping me see the truth." I have tears rolling down my cheeks as I continue, "You weren't as evil as you and I thought. You may have killed Marco, but I forgive you for taking Marco from me."

Then I turn around and make one final portal. I face the monster's grave once more and whisper, "Goodbye Ludo." And with that, I step through.

The warm evening wind brushes along my exposed skin while the sunset illuminates my white dress. _"One more, one final destination."_ I then walk down the hill.

About an hour later I clumsily stumble through the muddy ground of the warm cemetery, as I clutch a few… solemn items to my chest.

It takes me a few moments for me to finally reach the grave- Marco's final resting place. _"An ordinary grave for an extraordinary man."_ I think, _"But it's at least what he would've wanted."_

"Marco…" I whisper, and am greeted by deafening silence. "I know you can hear me, please. I need you. I need closure. I need to talk to you one last time."

More silent air passes by my ears.

"Come on Marco…"

"It's been a few months Star, haha, where have you been?" The ethereal boy materializes in front of me, his ghostly body floating over his burial site, "How've you been? And nice dress by the way, it makes it look like you've come to fulfill our dream."

"I've been… decent I suppose." I whisper, "I miss you Marco…"

"I miss you too Star, but you know I can't come back." He comes closer and places his hand on my bump, "You're doing a great job carrying our children."

I look into his eyes in shock, "Children?!"

He nods in response, "Yeah, you're carrying twins, a boy and a girl." I can feel a sense of dread overtake me for a moment, but Marco places his comforting hand on my shoulder, "Don't worry Star, you're going to be a great mother."

"Please." I turn and look into his ghostly eyes with my own, tear-filled ones, "Please come back. I'm a mess without you. I, I-"

He puts his finger on my lips and cuts me off, "Star, you know I would come back if I could." Then, he pulls embraces me with his translucent arms, "But just know that no matter where you are, I'll always be watching out for you."

I hug him tighter and can't help but cry into his ghostly sweater. I want to stay like this forever, but even I know that I need to let go. "Marco… I brought some stuff for us."

"Yes Star?" He calmly asks. I open my bag and pull out a battery powered music player. My hands are trembling as I plug my phone in.

"Lets have the dance you promised. You know, the one you said we would have at our wedding." I then offer my hand to him and he accepts it.

Then we dance to some random song his translucent body moving around mine as if he were still alive. I can feel him- his warm heart merge with mine, just like our souls did in the light of the blood moon.

We dance and dance- all the way till sunrise; all the way until the final song on the playlist ends with, _**"And I'll tell you all about it when I see you again."**_

After I tiredly fall to the soft ground, with Marco falling next to me, "That was fun Marco. Thank you."

"Haha, yeah, it was fun." He responds, before sitting up and looking into the sunrise, "I'm really going to miss this place, and you Star.

"What do you mean?" I fearfully ask.

Suddenly, his form begins to disperse, "It's my time Star. It was fun while it lasted." He then helps me onto my feet before pulling me into one final embrace, "Take care of our kids. I know you'll be a great mother."

"M-Marco…" I stutter, but the ethereal boy puts his translucent finger on my lips, "I love you Star. I'll see you again someday. And remember, I'll always be watching over you." Then he stares into my light blue eyes and lays one final passionate kiss upon my lips.

We stand there for what seems to be short seconds, before he breaks our embrace, "It's been a blast. Thank you Star!"

And with that, Marco disappears from sight, leaving me behind with tears flowing down my cheeks.

I stand there for a few eternal moments, unsure of what to do next.

But then, I turn to the grave once more and kneel down.

It takes me a few moments to push past my grief ands plant the final golden flower, "Marco, before I leave you… take this…" I tear up more, "This golden flower, it reminds me of you and what you've done for all of us."

Then, I place a small rectangular object in front of it; inside rests a photo of us with our family and friends, "Thank you for everything Marco. I'll miss you…" Then I look out into the setting sun, "But I know that I will see you again." And with that, I light two candles and place them next to the flower, "I will always remember you, Marco, my one true love."

With that, I stand up. My once pure white dress now stained with dirt.

I hold my bump, "I love you Marco. I promise that I'll be the best mother I can be for our children." I sob once more, "Goodbye… may you rest in peace." I then turn away and cry silently.

" _Marco, I know you're gone now. I know you're dead and I've accepted it._ _But I love you and I promise that I'll never forget you."_

And with that, I turn to face the rising sun once more, before quietly walking out of the cemetery, leaving my past behind with it.

" _I suppose that even in death, life will always find a way. Thank you for everything you've done and thank you Marco, for being who you were to me. I promise you that I will keep going no matter what. I'll do it for you, I'll do it for our friends and family, and I'll do it for myself."_

" _ **25-15-21 13-1-25 14-15-20 1-12-23-1-25-19 8-1-22-5 1 3-15-13-6-15-18-20-1-2-12-5 12-9-6-5 1-14-4 25-15-21 23-9-12-12 14-15-20 1-12-23-1-25-19 2-5 1-2-12-5 20-15 19-15-12-22-5 1-12-12 15-6 20-8-5 23-15-18-12-4'19 16-18-15-2-12-5-13-19 1-20 15-14-3-5, 2-21-20 4-15-14-'20 5-22-5-18 21-14-4-5-18-5-19-20-9-13-1-20-5 20-8-5 9-13-16-15-18-20-1-14-3-5 25-15-21 3-1-14 8-1-22-5, 2-5-3-1-21-19-5 8-9-19-20-15-18-25 8-1-19 19-8-15-23-14 21-19 20-8-1-20 3-15-21-18-1-7-5 3-1-14 2-5 3-15-14-20-1-7-9-15-21-19 1-14-4 8-15-16-5 3-1-14 20-1-11-5 15-14 1 12-9-6-5 15-6 9-20-19 15-23-14." ~13-9-3-8-5-12-12-5 15-2-1-13-1**_

" _ **The five stages - denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance - are a part of the framework that makes up our learning to live with the one we lost. They are tools to help us frame and identify what we may be feeling. But they are not stops on some linear timeline in grief." ~Elisabeth Kübler-Ross**_

 **A/N And that's the story. I hope you enjoyed. I thank Exotos135 for the story's basis and some ideas. I also thank you guys for supporting me in this!**

 **Also, Master Duelist Michael posted an alternate ending to this story Now that you're done reading this, check it out!**


End file.
